Battling for Victory
by Neellok
Summary: Concerned that she will never find love, being wrapped up in tennis as she is, Ryoma's mom signs her up for a matchmaker. Word gets around, and the fight for her hand is vicious.


**Title:** Battling for Victory

**Pairing:** Chotaro Otori/Echizen Ryoma

**Summary:** Concerned that she will never find love, being wrapped up in tennis as she is, Ryoma's mom signs her up for a matchmaker. Word gets around, and the fight for her hand is vicious.

Chotaro's hands clenched into fists. He longed to pick up a racquet and lob a ball at Atobe's head. It wasn't very often that that particular feeling crawled its way into Chotaro's mind, but when it did, the only thing that would release Chotaro from his anger was a match where he could launch his Scud Serve until his hand grew tired and he could no longer lift his arm.

He was slightly glad, but mostly annoyed, that Shishido had taken his racquet before Atobe started talking. At first Chotaro had thought that Atobe wanted to discuss the next game that would be against Yamabuki Academy. But that had been dashed to pieces when Atobe started proclaiming that, since he was the captain of Hyotei's tennis club, it made sense that he would be the one to win Echizen Ryoma's hand.

"What are you blabbering about, Atobe?" Shishido demanded, before glancing warily at Chotaro.

Atobe smirked at his best friend. "It's obvious, Shishido. Echizen's mother is worried that she shall never marry because of how much time she dedicates to tennis. Her mother hired a matchmaker. Therefore, I will win her hand!"

"And what makes you think that the matchmaker will pair her with you?"

Atobe snorted at the question. "It does not matter. I heard from Sanada, who heard from Tezuka, who heard from Fuji, who talked to Fuji's younger brother, that Mizuki from St. Rudolph planned to challenge her to a match. If Mizuki wins the match, Echizen will agree to date him!"

Chotaro's brow furrowed in frustration. Why did it always start with rumors? How could Atobe even understand that? And how did Atobe even know that Mizuki was challenging Echizen? Atobe hadn't talked to Sanada in months. Hey, wait a minute! What did that have to do with Echizen dating Atobe? Was he going to fight for her hand?

Chotaro glanced at Shishido with desperate eyes, begging Shishido to return his racquet. Shishido smirked and switched the racquet to his other hand, farther away from Chotaro. Chotaro glared, wishing it wouldn't be childish to stomp his feet and demand it back. His attention swung back to Atobe.

"What are you planning?" Chotaro asked, his voice pleasant and even.

Chotaro almost laughed when Shishido's eyes widened with surprise. Shishido was the only person on the team (besides his childhood friend Hiyoshi) who knew that Chotaro had a vicious temper when he was angered. Chotaro hardly ever got angry in public, because his mother had instilled manners in him from an early age. He had learned that you could kill someone with kindness much more effectively than with anger. For years, he had killed his opponents because of how calm and levelheaded he was during a match. It made victory that much sweeter.

Atobe gave him a look. "I will challenge and crush Mizuki before he challenges Echizen, of course! Then I will defeat her in a match. Right, Kabaji?"

"Yes."

Chotaro scowled but it morphed into a slight smile when Oshitari and Mukahi glanced in his direction.

"Are you sure that you're the only one that knows?" Chotaro asked, smiling even more widely when Atobe's eyes narrowed. "After all, you heard it through Sanada, Tezuka, Fuji, and Fuji's little brother…. Who knows, maybe a few other people happened to hear it as well."

Chotaro loved playing the devil's advocate. He didn't hate Atobe, but the man was arrogant, rich, handsome (if the ladies were to be believed), and great at tennis; Atobe didn't need anything else to add to that.

Personally, Chotaro thought Atobe wasn't very handsome, just for the simple fact that Atobe knew he was attractive. There was a difference, and Chotaro had seen more than enough of it in Atobe. Chotaro didn't mind if someone was beautiful or handsome. It just pissed him off when they flaunted it, as if being beautiful was as important as breathing.

Atobe loved collecting beautiful and powerful things. Atobe's mansions were littered with expensive paintings, vases, cars, flowers, and statues. Atobe would buy, win, or collect them, and then they would sit in one of his empty houses, waiting for their master to return.

Echizen was gorgeous. There was no doubt that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever known. Her silky, raven hair (so black that it almost had a green tint in the sunlight) fell down to the middle of her back, and her hazel eyes always had a spark of challenge in them. Her lithe body had been sculpted by years of sports and training, and Echizen was still oblivious to all the attention she had gotten since entering Seishun Academy High School Division.

There were times that Chotaro thought she was the living incarnate of his Scud Serve: so powerful and fiery that he could only hold on to her for a brief moment or he would forever be turned into ash, and yet he would hold on to her until the last second, because to release her sooner would cause even more pain. As soon as she left his sight, he would return as a phoenix from the ashes just to see her smile once more.

Chotaro pictured the smile she had given him the last time they had bumped into each other in the sporting goods store; he scowled at Atobe. Echizen had asked if he'd play a match with her and, enthralled, Chotaro accepted. He had lost. Spectacularly. But it had been worth it to see that gleam in her eye, and the smile that played around her lips. Echizen had grown up when he hadn't been looking, and he wasn't going to let her go that easily.

Echizen had come alive while playing that game; he could see it in her joyful expression when she finally returned his Neo Scud Serve, when Chotaro challenged her every step of the way. He had seen it when her breath got short and fast because he had made her run around the court.

Chotaro wouldn't let Atobe ruin her. Chotaro wasn't going to allow Atobe to succeed in winning her hand, because after a while Atobe would lose interest, like he always did. And then Echizen would be designated to sit upon a shelf, while Atobe chose something else to fascinate him. Echizen wasn't going to be another prize to Atobe. Chotaro would beat him first.

"Didn't you have to shave your head the last time you played a match with her?"

Chotaro bit his lip when his best friend, Hiyoshi Wakashi, joined the group after finally finishing the extra laps Atobe had given him for being tardy.

Atobe's eye twitched.

"You shouldn't antagonize the captain, Hiyoshi. He might give you more laps," Mukahi stage-whispered.

"I will not lose this time!" Atobe arrogantly announced, as if that alone made him the winner of the match. He gestured grandly with his hand, accidentally whacking Jiro, who had been sleeping propped up against Kabaji, on the head.

Jiro blinked and blearily looked at the group. "What's going on? Is it my turn?"

Chotaro's lips twitched. "No, senpai, that game ended one hour ago. You won."

Jiro nodded, and rubbed his eyes with a balled hand. "Then why did you wake me?" he asked, still half-asleep.

Shishido brought him up to speed. "Atobe is going to challenge Mizuki to a match so he can date Echizen."

Jiro yawned and settled back against Kabaji. "Why not just ask her?"

Atobe snorted at the reply. "Because it's a duel! Whoever wins will get a date with Echizen. You can't just ask her! It's not in the rules."

Chotaro stared at Jiro for a few seconds as a plan started to form in his mind. He couldn't stop the light chuckle that escaped when he realized the perfect way to hinder Atobe. He ignored the weird looks that were sent his way, and concentrated his attention on the still half-asleep teen.

"Hey, Atobe, didn't you say you found out the information through Fuji?" Chotaro asked innocently, his brown eyes never leaving Jiro. "And since Fuji also likes Echizen, and hates Mizuki because of what he did to Fuji's little brother, doesn't that mean that Fuji will also challenge Mizuki?"

Jiro's head perked up at Fuji's name. "Fuji?"

Chotaro smiled softly at the confused question. Jiro was either half-asleep all the time or fully asleep. The only time he ever seemed awake was when he played tennis, and even then, it had only been against Seigaku's Fuji Shusuke during the Kantou Tournament. Jiro wanted a rematch against Fuji, but every time Jiro asked, Fuji would deny the request. This was the only way Jiro could make sure that he would be able to play against Fuji.

"Yeah, apparently even Fuji is going to be doing the challenge." Chotaro almost laughed at the surprised expressions of his teammates. Everyone but Shishido seemed shocked that he would mention Fuji to Jiro, especially since everyone knew how badly Jiro wanted to play Fuji.

He knew that they didn't know why he was doing it. They probably thought that Chotaro honestly wanted Jiro to play Fuji, or maybe they even thought he was accidentally giving Atobe more competition. He didn't really care what they thought though, as long as Atobe would be hindered in some way.

Oshitari stared at Chotaro with a smirk. "So that's how it is."

Chotaro's eyes narrowed on the other doubles player. "How what is?" Chotaro gave him a sweet smile, silently asking if Oshitari really wanted to bring it out into the open that he was manipulating the situation, when Chotaro was _this close_ to snapping.

Oshitari chuckled and nodded, backing off with his newfound revelation.

"Doesn't that mean that it's possible everyone else will show up, too?" Mukahi chimed in, as he glanced back and forth between Oshitari and Chotaro as if trying to figure out what went on during that brief exchange.

"What?" Atobe demanded.

Mukahi rolled his eyes. "If Fuji is participating in the—whatever you want to call it—"

"Battle to the death?" Chotaro asked.

"Fight for Love!" Hiyoshi deftly avoided the elbow Chotaro _accidentally_ swung in the direction of his stomach.

Mukahi glared. "The match!" he stated firmly. "Doesn't that also mean that the other people in the long line of someones will also want to try for her hand?"

Atobe nodded and crossed his arms. "It is possible, but I will defeat them regardless."

Chotaro grabbed the cell phone that was in his pocket when his text message ringtone chimed. He flipped it open and read the message with a slight smile. "Tezuka is planning on playing. So are Fuji, Sanada, Jiro (because of Fuji), Sengoku Kiyosumi, and some guy named Ibu Shinji … yeah … don't know who he is," Chotaro reported when he was finished.

Atobe frowned at the names mentioned and snagged the phone out of Chotaro's hand. "Let me see that. Fuji. Why is Fuji texting you?"

Chotaro shrugged. "He wanted to know if you were going to challenge Mizuki. I told him that you were, and then he said that you would have to defeat him first since Mizuki was his… and to get to Fuji you'll have to defeat Jiro." Chotaro pointed at Jiro who was, for once, wide-awake and listening to their conversation.

Shishido interrupted before Atobe started to once again declare that he was the only one that deserved Echizen. "When does the battle begin?"

"Tonight at six on the street courts!"

—

Chotaro waited until they were walking home before he finally growled out his frustration. He kicked the nearest tree, ignoring the laugh from Shishido and Hiyoshi.

"Are you going to enter?" Shishido asked once Chotaro had finally calmed down enough to talk.

Chotaro scowled at his partner. "No."

"But—"

Hiyoshi chuckled and wrapped an arm around Chotaro's shoulders, making his best friend hunch down. "He has another plan in mind, don't you?"

Chotaro threw Hiyoshi's arm off his shoulders and smiled. He loved being the second tallest on the team. He was only a few inches shorter than Kabaji. "Yeah."

Hiyoshi smirked, sharing a look with Shishido. "Gekokujo?" he asked, referring to his motto about a lower classman surpassing an upperclassman.

"Why do you care so much for Echizen anyway, Chotaro?" Shishido walked backwards in front of Chotaro so he would have to answer the question.

Chotaro hesitated, trying to explain why she was so important. His tongue felt dry as the words wouldn't come. He knew that his next move might very well ruin the friendship he had built with her the past five months, but he couldn't let anyone else have her. Chotaro was confident in his tennis abilities, but he knew he wouldn't win against Tezuka or Sanada or, sadly, even Atobe. He only hoped that what she was looking for wasn't all based on tennis.

"She's my Scud Serve," he whispered, unable to describe her more perfectly. He knew that they wouldn't understand the analogy, but they didn't have to. All they needed to know was that he was in love with her. "I love her."

Shishido stopped and stared. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Then go get your woman."

Chotaro blinked with surprise and then laughed. "Going to help me win this Scud Serve, too, Shishido-senpai?"

Shishido just laughed. "Nah, I think you can handle it this time."

Chotaro smiled and hiked his tennis bag higher up on his shoulder. "Thanks, Shishido-senpai. Wish me luck?"

Hiyoshi whacked him on the head with his tennis bag. "You don't need luck! Now go catch her before tonight. You only have an hour before the matches (there is no way I'm calling it 'The Tournament to Win Echizen Ryoma's Heart'; I don't care if that's what Atobe finally settled on) starts."

Chotaro winced when he heard the time and took off running toward her house. He had only been there a few times to use the tennis court on the temple grounds, or to meet her when they were hanging out on the weekend, but he thought he could remember where it was.

How long had it been since he had last seen Echizen? Three days? A week? Maybe more? Chotaro flinched when he couldn't remember the exact day. Chotaro had tried to see her as often as he could. They had even gotten together on the weekend a few times, but between family responsibilities and the extra training Atobe had ordered them to do, he hadn't had much free time.

Chotaro stumbled to a stop when the light turned red. He jogged in place to keep busy and make sure that his muscles didn't cool down. He scowled at all of the cars that kept zipping past him as he waited for the light to change. Chotaro briefly thought about trying to catch a bus that went closer to her house, but dismissed it as pointless. The bus wouldn't arrive for another ten minutes at least, and then they would have to make all those stops along the way. It would take less time to run.

Chotaro started running the moment it turned green, satisfied that he was once again on his way. His grip on his tennis bag tightened as he thought about how stupid he'd been! How could he have never asked her out? The last time they had been together Chotaro had almost asked her if she'd go to his school festival with him, but he had chickened out at the last moment. Chotaro thought he had seen disappointment in her eyes, but he had convinced himself he'd been wrong.

He longed to smash a Scud Serve in his own face for being so cowardly. A part of him argued that Echizen could have asked him. Echizen certainly was forward enough, but he knew that in romantic matters like these, he would have to be the one to take the initiative. It was just the way she was. Echizen was extremely confident about her tennis ability, but not as confident in matters of the heart.

He glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes. He had less than fifteen minutes to get there and ask Echizen to go out with him, or some other guy would get there first. He pushed himself to run faster, uncaring of the pain that was starting to shoot up his legs and into his side. It had been years since he'd run this hard and this much, but Echizen was worth it.

Chotaro stuttered to a stop in front of her gate, gulping in huge mouthfuls of air to calm his racing heart and heaving chest. It felt like it was about to burst! He panted, placing his hands on his knees and dropping his bag at his feet. When Chotaro could finally breathe without wheezing, he picked up his bag, walked through the gate, and knocked on the door.

His heart started racing when he heard a loud female voice in the house followed by footsteps. Chotaro braced himself and opened his mouth to blurt out his confession, only to freeze when Echizen's cousin opened the door.

"Um, is Echizen Ryoma here? I'd like to talk to her," Chotaro mumbled, sketching a quick but proper bow.

Her cousin shook her head, making her long hair swish. "No. She said that she was bored, so she was going to go to the street courts and challenge someone to a match."

Chotaro's shoulders slumped. Of course he was too late. She was already—what? He gulped as her words registered. "Di-did you just say that she went to the street courts?" He was screwed! He'd been hoping that he would be able to find her before she found out about the others.

"Oi, what's going on here?" a male voice demanded.

Chotaro gulped and bowed when her dad came into view. "Sorry to be a bother, sir. I was looking for Echizen."

"He wanted to ask her something."

Chotaro glanced up nervously and froze when her dad continued to stare, as if judging him.

"Aren't you the one that's in love with my daughter?" he asked.

"Um… yes."

Her dad nodded and sighed. "Good. Then ask her out! I'm tired of my wife talking about hiring a matchmaker!"

Chotaro choked on the reply he'd been about to give, when the wording registered in his mind. "You haven't hired one yet? But what about the rumor …?"

He smirked. "Ah, that. Let's just call it motivation." Her dad smiled and walked away calling, "Don't you need to confess to my daughter before someone else does?"

Chotaro blinked at him dazedly, still wondering what really happened. So there was no matchmaker, her dad was okay with him dating his daughter, and Echizen was currently at the street courts. Crap! Street courts!

"Thank you," he babbled at her cousin. "Goodbye!" He bowed and fled. He ran to the courts, hoping that he would still have time. Chotaro winced when he thought about Echizen's reaction to everything that had been going on. He knew that she would be angry when she found out the reason why they were having the competition. Echizen hated it when her choices were either made for her or taken away. It was the main reason why he hadn't entered in the contest, other than the fact that he wouldn't win; he didn't want to treat her as a prize.

Chotaro was going to do something much more dangerous than win a tennis match. He was going to confess his feelings for her, ask her on a date, and hope that she felt the same. Chotaro wanted to give her the chance to say 'no' without much fuss. He knew that he would be crushed and heartbroken if she rejected him, but that was a lot better than trying to force her on a date. Because that's what the guys were currently doing—trying. There was no way that Echizen would go on a date with someone she didn't like.

Groaning, Chotaro clutched his side when the stitch became sharper. He slowed his pace, knowing that if he pushed himself too hard he would never get there. He hiked the bag on his shoulder higher and wished that he had had the chance to drop it off at home or had the forethought to leave it at school.

He rounded the corner and grinned in relief when he finally spotted the street courts. He slowed to a stop near the large crowd of spectators. He squeezed his way through and glanced around the area to see if he could spot Echizen. Chotaro smiled when he saw her leaning against one of the railings in the small set of stands that overlooked the courts. Chotaro made his way toward her and plopped down in the seat next to her. He wiped his forehead with his shirt, drying off some of the sweat that had poured off him as he had run all the way. "Who's winning?"

Echizen glanced at him with a small smile, and then turned back to the action on the courts. "Tezuka."

Chotaro nodded, as it was to be expected.

"What are you doing here, Chotaro?" she asked, voice soft but not weak.

Chotaro stared at the side of her face, trying to capture her gaze and gain his courage. He knew that if he didn't confess now, then all would be lost. "I came to find you."

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Why?"

"Because I have something I want to ask you . . . but I don't know if I can," Chotaro confessed, though it wasn't the one he really wanted to make.

Echizen turned away and stared back out at the court. She smiled when Tezuka won, and his heart sank in his chest. She was happy that Tezuka won; she wanted to date Tezuka. Why else would she be happy that he won?

"Tezuka, huh?" he muttered under his breath.

Still smiling, she turned away from the courts to face him. "I asked him to join. I heard a _rumor,_ and I wanted him to weed out the undesirables. I was going to join and do it myself"—she smirked when Chotaro laughed—"but he refused to let me. Sometimes I think he still doesn't think I can handle it."

Chotaro shook his head. She could handle anything! "He just doesn't want you to worry about th—wait. Why aren't you angry? I thought you'd be furious." Honestly, though, why wasn't she hitting Twist Serves in everyone's faces? That was more than a little suspicious given her temperament.

Echizen tilted her head, causing her long hair (for once not in a ponytail or under a baseball cap) to fall over her shoulder and into her face. She shoved it away. "What did you want to ask me?"

Chotaro stared at her, mind whirling as he thought about the last few hours. His nervousness faded into the background as he finally put the pieces together. "I ran all the way to your house, only to be told by your cousin that you were at the street courts. Why did you decide to come here tonight?"

She smirked. "You still have lots more to work on, Chotaro."

Chotaro scowled at the non-answer. "Your dad informed me that the rumor was false. Your mother never hired at matchmaker, which means—"

"Which means what, Chotaro? That my dad—who supposedly started the rumor—was lying, or that you ran all the way here to tell me my mom never hired a matchmaker?"

Her dad? What had her dad said?

"_Aren't you the one that's in love with my daughter?"_

"_Let's just call it motivation."_

"It wasn't him," he whispered. His eyes homed in on her blushing face. Oh, how sweet such a victory tasted. For Echizen to sink to starting a rumor to get his attention… he felt honored. Now, to make her admit it! "It wasn't your father that started the rumor. It was you. Why?"

Echizen scowled, cheeks burning red. "Stupid, Dad!" She turned away. "Because you refused to ask me. I thought that you would ask me to your school festival, but you never did. I didn't want to wait much longer! So I asked my stupid dad for help. He came up with the idea, but yes, I started the rumor!"

Chotaro sighed at all of the confusion that she had made for such a simple thing. She truly was a novice when it came to matters of the heart. "Why didn't you just ask me?"

Her hands clenched around the railing in front of her. "I wasn't sure what your answer would be."

Chotaro resisted the urge to gather her in his arms. He knew that talking about this wasn't the easiest thing Echizen had ever done. Chotaro knew that she was more comfortable on a tennis court, but he needed to hear it, and she needed to say it. So, he would let her.

"I'm a tennis player, Chotaro," she whispered, as if she had a terrible confession to make. "I don't understand all this romance stuff. I don't wear skirts unless it's my tennis uniform, and even then only in official matches. I hate wearing make-up and I never wear high heels. I don't paint my nails, and I only either braid my hair or put it in a ponytail. Some would say I'm less than a girl." She stared at the ground.

Chotaro scowled at her response. He hated the doubt that had been placed in her mind. So she wasn't a fan of dressing up in cute or fancy clothes. Who cared? He didn't. He loved her the way she was.

Chotaro took a fortifying breath and grabbed Echizen's hand, prying her fingers from the railing. He tugged until she was sitting down next to him, and smiled at her, even though Echizen was using her hair as a curtain to hide her face.

"I love the fingers and hands that have calluses from all the times you've held a racquet or a ball. I love the baseball cap you wear to keep the sun out of your eyes and your hair out of your face. I love that you don't like skirts, because playing tennis in a skirt is completely impractical. I love the worn tennis shoes that you always wear, because it means that you're ready to play a match at any time. You love tennis, Ryoma, and there's nothing about that that makes you less of a girl. I'd say it makes you more."

Chotaro grinned when her hand clenched around his almost painfully tight. He wasn't normally one to give that many compliments, and he knew that normally she wasn't someone who asked for them, but everything he had said was true. He wouldn't let her believe otherwise.

"Will you go out with me? Our first date?"

Ryoma chuckled, though it sounded a little wet and wobbly. Her dry, hazel gaze was sharp as it narrowed on him. "Idiot, Otori. We already had our first date."

Chotaro's heart thumped loudly in his chest as his first name passed her lips. His face bloomed a brilliant red. "You considered me playing tennis against your father and then going to get Ponta as a first date?" What other girl in the entire world would consider that an acceptable date? He couldn't think of one.

She smirked. "Yes. I had to make sure that my dad approved of you, or he would have just meddled the whole time."

"But that was four months ago," he sputtered. Why had he wasted all this time?

Ryoma laughed at his expression.

Chotaro smiled. "Four months, huh?" He pulled her to her feet and gathered all of their bags. Once he had everything ready, he started dragging her away. "Don't you think it's time we had another one?"

She beamed at him, hazel eyes sparkling, and nodded.

Chotaro glanced at the tennis courts, where a few guys were still battling for the right to date her, and tightened his grip on Ryoma's hand. It didn't matter who won. Victory was his.


End file.
